Mazda CX-8 Problems
No car is perfect, but we've gathered everything relating to the Mazda CX-8 reliability here to help you decide if it's a smart buy.
Which mid-size, diesel SUV should I buy?
Mazda’s SUV range (CX-5 and CX-8) are popular with their owners and have a good reputation in the trade. Crucially, they’re also available with a turbo-diesel engine, so they fit your criteria on that basis. We’d also suggest you take a good look at the South Korean brands’ offerings (Hyundai and Kia) as these are also highly rated by the trade and those companies have been involved with small-capacity diesel engines for decades, so the technology is pretty well sorted.
It’s interesting that you’ve had a good run from your Holden Captiva as that is far from the experience of many owners and former owners of this particular vehicle. As the Captiva ages it is very likely to start giving trouble, so the best advice is to trade up to a newer vehicle sooner rather than later.
Mazda CX-8 DPF issues around town?
Given the CX-8 only arrived on the market in June 2018, it's a bit too early to say conclusively, but the current CX-5 diesel (which shares its mechanicals with the CX-8) seems to be trouble free under these conditions.
Early versions of the first-generation CX-5 diesel had diesel particulate filter (DPF) issues that caused diesel fuel to leak into the engine oil, but this was fixed with hardware and software upgrades under warranty in 2012.
Having said that, any car will likely benefit from the odd highway run, but I wouldn't have any concerns about the CX-8 around town.